This filter, with its hardened glass, has 4x the tensile strength of traditional filters of similar fabrication. This filter is also of great use in today's digital market where sensors are more sensitive to reflected light. Hoya incorporates special coatings that reduce these internal reflections and, thereby, promote a clearer, brighter and sharper image.

Light rays which are reflected become polarized. Polarizing filters are used to select which light rays enter your camera lens. They can remove unwanted reflections from non-metallic surfaces such as water or glass and also saturate colors providing better contrast. The effect can be seen through the viewfinder and changed by rotating the filter. The filter factor varies according to how the filter is rotated and its orientation to the sun.

Note: Circular polarizers are specifically designed for use with auto-focus SLR cameras (They will also work on manual systems and video cameras without problems).

25% higher light transmission than standard polarizing film used in current photographic filters

Filter promotes the acquisition of more light for your image

Increases sharpness

This filter eliminates ultraviolet rays to remove haze from outdoor shots as well as polarizing the light to remove reflections, and increase color saturation, without affecting the overall color balance

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Anonymous from
Pricey but goodI use the filter on my standard 18-200 zoom lens as a protector and as an alternative to having to bring the lens cap everywhere. The HD stands for heavy duty and this is perfect for any outdoor condition as well as storage area (bags, purses, etc.). I never have to worry about my lens being scratched. On top of that this filter takes in enough light to take pretty good pictures indoors even though it is a CPL. Usually CPL filters require a couple stops of exposure to compensate. Only downer is really the price, which is pretty high for any filter in my opinion. I just had to have it because I love the effect of CPLs on color and sky.

Date published: 2009-06-30

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sam from
Excellent. Everything is as advertised.I picked HD instead of HD2 because after reading many posts on Internet the difference between the two is the warranty. Since HOYA is a good filter already. So, I don't think I need the extra warranty of HD2 I took it to take picture of Cherry blossom. It was perfect. Pros: 1. The sky was intensified with this PL filter. 2. I took it to museum. It helped me reduce reflection from the glass display. And it only reduced my shutter speed by about 1 stop. Cons: When I put it on top of my UV filter, it was a bit hard to take the PL filter out without the UV filter came off as well. But I managed. Not a big deal.

Date published: 2014-04-16

Rated 1 out of
5 by
elbows2 from
Fell apart after 2 months of light useBought one of these filters on 12/08/2008 -- it came apart today 2/7/2009 although used on three or four times....The filter construction may give up too much in the effort to be thin and lightweight -- the rotating ring popped out of the ring that mounts to the lens and a small metal ring inside the filter assembly also slid out.Based on the few occasions I used the filter before it came apart: It did allow more light through, as advertised, and reduced reflections reasonably well. It produced a noticeable color cast, but a little less than other polarizer filters I've tried. (The color cast issue has me thinking about just switching to a neutral density filter in place of a polarizer.)Maybe the filter I got was defective in some way -- but I would be hesitant to buy another one because of the lightweight design.

Date published: 2009-02-08

Rated 5 out of
5 by
happy shopper from
excellent productI am impressed by the hardened glass and overall quality. The slimness of the filter is also a plus.

Date published: 2009-03-22

Rated 5 out of
5 by
J Steven from
72mm Circular Polarizing HD (High DensitI bought the High Density (HD) because of the special hardened glass that better protects both filter and lens, and allows the filter to be thinner and therefore lighter. As Ken Rockwell pointed out, the thin size makes it harder to remove as there is less to hold on to, but as I put individual polarizing filters on each of my lenses that require them (optional, of course) I do not plan to remove them so it is a moot point. The polarizing ability on this filter is awesome.

Date published: 2011-09-08

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Richard from
High pass polarizerThis is a high pass polarizer which absorbs less light than standard polarizers, enabling it to be left on for entire outdoor escapades, even when only needed for some scenes, and not needing to be removed for low light situations the way older polarizers were removed. Easy to clean.

Date published: 2013-12-29

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Anonymous from
A really nice thin CIR-PL filterI use this polarizer on a wide angle zoom. Very thin and easy to use. Light reduction is significantly less than conventional polarizing filters so there is no need to remove for shots that don't require the filter. Colors using this polarizer are warmer than those from my other CIR-PL filters. Multi-coating is easy to clean. As some have mentioned, this polarizer has shallow threads so it attaches with fewer turns than most filters. Front thread depth is fine for lens cap attachment. A really nice CIR-PL filter!

Date published: 2013-08-13

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Anonymous from
Absolutely Definitely Recommend!Received this filter to replace an old one I had for my 18-200 Nikon DX lens and I am really excited about the quality! I've been out taking fall color pics and love the way the leaves and skies have turned out. Really happy with my choice to spend the extra money for this filter!